The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

In today’s news we see many disruptions and inconsistencies in society, and, according to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, humankind might be headed in that direction. The deterioration of society is a concept often explored biologically in novels, but less common, is the effect on everyday social constructs such as the position of women as a item that can be distributed and traded-in for a ‘better’ product. The Handmaid’s Tale elaborates the concept that, as societal discrimination towards women intensifies, gender equality deteriorates and certain aspects of societal freedoms are lost. Offred’s experience with serving Gilead demonstrates a victim’s perspective and shows how the occurring changes develope the Republic.

Throughout most of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Moira is a character who refuses to be beaten down and conform to the new society that Gilead had created. She is one of only characters that is referred to by her real name, and this is because Moira never really becomes a Handmaid like the others. In lieu of the passivity that the other Handmaid’s come to have, she fights back against the new system. Her resistance can be seen not only in her attitude while she is a Handmaid, but in her two attempts at escape as well. Moira’s refusal to conform to the society that the Republic of Gilead created represents the rebellious spirit of humanity, as well as how an oppressive society such as Gilead can break even the strongest of

Despite the little dependence on women, they are still objectified and subjected to injustice because of their gender, regardless if they were a female in general or as a poor female. As something as simple as what a person is born with affects the respect that is given to them. Margaret Atwood formulates Offred’s personality much like any other handmaid in the community. Offred becomes familiar with the functionality and role of women in the community, therefore she adjusts herself in order to be up to par with the unethical standard. “I wait. I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born. (Atwood, 75). To be what is required of her, Offred must act unhuman because the expectations of females exceed the

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood describes the story of Offred, a Handmaid, that is a woman ascribed a breeding function by society, and who is placed with a husband and wife higher up the social ladder who need a child. Through Offred's eyes we explore the rigidity of the theocracy in which she lives, the contradictions in the society they have created, and her attempts to find solace through otherwise trivial things. The heroine is never identified except as Offred, the property of her current Commander, she was a modern woman: college-educated, a wife and a mother when she lost all that due to the change in her society. The novel can be viewed from one perspective as being a feminist depiction of the suppression of a woman, from another

Throughout the course of world history on Earth, humans have always worked harder and harder in order to improve society and make it more perfect, although it still hasn’t been done quite yet, because it is merely impossible to achieve perfection in a world with close to seven billion people. There is a very distinct difference between a utopia, which can also be known as perfection, and a dystopia, which can also be known as a tragedy; and the outcomes normally generate from the people in charge or the authority that sets up the foundation, the rules, and the regulations for a society. In the Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Republic of Gilead is created by a powerful authority group called the Eyes after a huge government take over and the assassination of the US president. It’s very strict rules and goals are set up to protect women, to increase childbirth, and to keep all violence, men, and powerful social media under control. The novel is set in a first person point of view and the narrator, Offred, tells her story to us readers about her experiences as a handmaid and how her life was completely turned upside down. Throughout the course of the novel Offred reveals many sides of herself; although her thoughts do not remain consistent, her personality and opinion tends to change revealing, that she is hesitant and strong because she learns to make the best of what she has and silently overcome the system of the Republic of Gilead.

The literary masterpiece The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, is a story not unlike a cold fire; hope peeking through the miserable and meaningless world in which the protagonist gets trapped. The society depicts the discrimination towards femininity, blaming women for their low birth rate and taking away the right from the females to be educated ,forbidding them from reading or writing. These appear in Ethan Alter’s observations that:

In Chapter 23, Margaret Atwood, in her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, allows Offred to reflect on Moira's story and to realize how impossible it is to give a full and unbiased account of certain situations in life. In addition, Atwood incorporates a WWII flashback in chapter 24, where Offred recalls seeing a film about the mistress of a prominent Nazi, who just could not accept the truth that the mister was a monster. The woman, which Offred can now remember, is most of all “make-up” (Atwood, 146) and she has been hiding behind the concealer to prevent herself from being identified with the truth. A similar lesson, as from the WWII passage – that humans tend to construct a sense of self and slowly build a capacity for self-deception and self-creation – is enhanced and developed in the excerpt where Offred visits the Commander for the first time.

Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel written in 1985, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, depicts Serena Joy as a rather complex being. She is revealed to be extremely bitter of her life and rather jealous of Offred. Ironically, Serena becomes trapped by the very ideals which she preached in the time before as a media personality. Moreover, she displays mixed attitudes towards Offred, being both generous and horrible.

The Handmaid’s Tale Analysis Unorthodox outlooks exist in the population of every society and culture. Some individuals are willing to speak out against regimes, and others rebel in stealthy ways. In Margret Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, a new theocracy style of government has taken over the United States of America. The newly formed administration is known as the Republic of Gilead and entails a strictly structured caste system. The narrator, Offred, has chosen to be a Handmaid.

What will the future bring? What will happen as feminists speak out, women work out of home, pornography spreads and is battled, and the desire for children dwindles? Perhaps life on Earth will improve. Maybe women will have the rights they demand, porn will be defeated, and people will respect women’s bodies. Maybe mothers will miraculously have the perfect number of children: just the right amount to keep the population within its limits. Or perhaps a deterioration will occur, as Margaret Atwood predicted in The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood’s setting is futuristic, compelling, and terrifyingly believable. Her main character relates to the readers as real people. Her themes laced in the plot, from exposition to resolution, stem from conflicts with other characters, inner struggles, and heart wrenching losses. Readers are captivated as Atwood intertwines her literary elements, and warns the audience of a possible reality. Margaret Atwood tells the tale of a handmaid, and Atwood enlightens those partaking of her vision to the potential of such a degenerate future.

I made that up. It didn’t happen that way. Here’s what happened. – p. 301

The Handmaid’s Tale depicts exquisitely how lonely everyone is in the confines of their classifications. Offred is desperate to connect, but understands that a smile from the housekeeper who is called Martha would be too dangerous. When she arrives in her new house she seeks warmth from the new Wife, and is instead met with hostility ‘’Don’t call me Ma’am … You’re not a Martha.’’ (Atwood, Margaret. 17) The Commander’s Driver touches his shoe to hers, even though Offred is not sure if it is on purpose, she feels her ‘’shoe soften, blood flows into it, it grows warm, it becomes skin.’’ (Atwood, Margaret. 92) Even though all of these connections are illegal, and Offred is supposed to keep her eyes downcast, and her Handmaid’s uniform’s head wings blocks her line of sight ‘’they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen.’’ (Atwood, Margaret. 9)

In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, set in a futuristic state, women are portrayed as voiceless belongings viewed only as childbearing vessels. Atwood characterizes women as both physically and psychologically oppressed by the totalitarian male leaders through Handmaids like Offred. The novel clearly displays the dehumanizing effects of the ideology, biological reductionism, and manipulation of language through the testimony of the eyewitness’ recollections. The portrayal of women is conveyed through Offred’s characterizations and descriptions of women in this society. The marginalization of women in this society is shown through Offred’s characterization and description of women.

Imagine, all of a sudden, being forced to begin a new life. The Handmaid’s Tale is a story about a reformed society based on an altered bible where there are specific social castes. The Handmaids are women who are fertile and have children with Commanders because the Commanders’ Wives are sterile or too old to have children. The novel follows a Handmaid named Offred and her life as a Handmaid. Offred frequently remembers her past life of her husband and daughter. Offred dislikes being a Handmaid, but it is better than the other choice of being sent to the hazardous Colonies. Offred develops several interesting relationships and learns of the secret society, Mayday. Offred, the Commander, and Nick are unorthodox characters in Margaret Atwood’s

In The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood explores the role that women play in society and the consequences of a countryís value system. She reveals that values held in the United States are a threat to the livelihood and status of women. As one critic writes, “the author has concluded that present social trends are dangerous to individual welfare” (Prescott 151).